Trainee Solicitor Review

Everyday I would come on and either start my day by finishing any outstanding tasks from the previous day or discussing with my assigned buddy whether they had or anyone else on the team had a task for me to do. I did a range of tasks such as drafting letters, conducting legal research, finding specific information about court fees or processes, creating fact sheets and I even wrote an insight article.

Prior to the vacation scheme I did not have the chance to do much legal writing or drafting outside of my LPC so I have been able to hone my writing and drafting skills. I was able to go through my work with the people on my team and figure out how to improve my writing. I also got to develop my time management skills as I was given deadlines to keep.

There was a day specifically for department talks and I felt like this was helpful because we got to learn about what every single department in the company did, whether they regularly took on trainees and what type of work each person did. I felt like it gave a good overview on what areas the business has lots of work in and how if they had roles in areas I was particularly interested in.

The culture and atmosphere were great. Everyone was very welcoming and eager to introduce themselves to me and speak with me. I was placed in the Commercial Dispute Resolution department, and I found everyone on my team friendly and easy to approach. Everyone was very open, and I never felt like I couldn’t ask any questions but rather asking questions was encouraged and everyone seemed very happy to help me out.

Overall, I really enjoyed the vacation scheme. I was able to learn a lot of amazing things about Gateley as the week went by and really saw their purpose and ‘Gateley Team Spirit’ in action in many ways through the week. It was a pleasant experience that has not only made me more confident in my own skills and abilities, but I can now see myself pursuing and thriving in a career in law.

Yes

I would recommend doing good research about the firm and the unique way they are structured in order to be able to speak confidently about it. I would also find out about the purpose and 'Gateley Team Spirit' on their website because it is something I definitely saw in action throughout my team yet so I think demonstrating qualities that align to that would be helpful.